The Wicked Witch That Never Was
by Nor of Kiamo Ko
Summary: AU. Nessa has died at the age of twelve, leaving adolescent Elphaba with nothing keeping her in Munchkinland. She, of course, decides to run to the Emerald City, but takes a wrong turn into the Gillikin... Fiyeraba. Gelphie friendship. Updates prob. slow.
1. Beginning With an End

**A/N: I know I should probably put some big greeting here, but honestly I can't do it without sounding stupid. XD So, for now, I'm just going to dedicate it to all my FanFiction homegirls (including the ones I know in real life :) ), and just go ahead with the chapter. :) Short, sweet, and to the point.**

**The Wicked Witch That Never Was**

by Nor of Kiamo Ko

Chapter One:

Beginning with an End

"...pious, even at her tender age; beautiful, for all her bodily imperfections; strong, but gentle as well. She was a dutiful daughter, a loving sister, and an inspiring message to us all. Now let us pray for her soul..."

Elphaba bent her head and folded her hands in her lap, praying to please her father and the soul of her sister, who had doubtless gotten into heaven without anybody's help.

_She was so young, _she meditated. _The only one I had left..._ Her face was stony as she fought the tears rising in her eyes.

Really, it was probably a good thing that she was at this funeral. It was a way to remember Nessa as she had been: twelve, handicapped, and happy instead of twelve, sick, and dying. Now, twelve and dead.

The prayer ended, and the preacher continued to speak. Elphaba's mind wandered as freely as she would let it.

_If Nessa were here listening to this, she'd be blushing like mad. _She almost smiled to herself. _One sister bright pink, and the other bright green._

She flashed back to the day the Owl doctor had come out of Nessa's room, polishing his glasses and looking almost embarrassed to be the bearer of bad news. "Would you like us to do anything special with the, ah, er..."

_Say wheelchair, _Elphaba had silently urged him.

"Burn it," her father had snapped bitterly. He had covered his eyes with his hand for a moment. When he had uncovered them, he had shot such a look of unadulterated hatred at her that it almost seemed like he blamed her for the death of his favorite daughter _and _his wife.

She shuddered and made herself listen to the preacher again. _Mustn't think like that now, _she scolded herself. _Not here._

* * *

"Finally," Elphaba huffed as she took off her dress. The wake had been a night of listening to people who cared only for her father (just as well--she didn't give a pig's wig about them either) tell her about how sorry they were for her loss. While she was fairly sure the wake was supposed to make her feel better, it only made her cynical. 

She pulled on her nightgown, remembering the nightly routine that had ended what seemed like years ago.

_"Elphaba, will you help me with my nightgown, please?"_

_"Of course." Elphaba stood up and went to help her sister, pulling the nightgown down until her pretty white hands poked out of the sleeves, her face came out of the neckhole, and the hem hung decently around her ankles._

_"Thank you." Nessa smiled, her heart-shaped face lighting up._

_Elphaba picked a hairbrush up off of the bedside table. "Do you want me to do it?"_

_Nessa indignantly took it from her. "Thank you, Elphaba, but I am perfectly capable of brushing my own hair." She turned to face the mirror and began to do just that, each stroke careful and precise._

Elphaba pursed her lips and tried not to cry. She pulled back the sheets on her bed and lay down, putting out the lamp as she settled herself on her pillow. She ran her fingers through her hair, letting it out of its tight braid, and stared at the ceiling.

_She was the last thing keeping me here, _she thought drowsily, _the last thing keeping me from running off to the Emerald City..._

_So __**why stay**?_

She sat bolt upright. The question had not occured to her in the past three days, not even briefly.

Her mind raced. What did she have to lose? Certainly not her father. She had no friends to leave. No one would think to miss her: the quiet, sullen, angry green girl.

She stood up. She opened her window...

...and got back into bed.

_Stupid, _she thought. _I have to time this right, collect a few things... I can't just up and **leave**_.

She rolled over and tried to get some sleep. _A few days. Maybe a week at most..._

_And then it's the Emerald City for me._

* * *

Her chance came four days later, on the next clear night. She was almost glad she'd waited; if she hadn't, she wouldn't have thought to wear her boots instead of going barefoot, much less pack food and a cloak. 

She knew tonight would be her last chance. The rainy season was coming, and that would keep her in Munchkinland for months. The moment her lamp was out, she was pulling on her boots, throwing her pack over her shoulder, and bounding toward her window.

When she was, by some miracle, on the ground in one piece, she did something that surprised herself: she turned around and looked at the house that had been her home for fourteen years.

"Goodbye," she whispered. Whether it was meant for the house, Nessa, or even her mother, she wasn't able to tell.

And then Elphaba slipped silently into the night.

* * *

Galinda Upland sat in the dining hall at Upland Manor, listening to her parents talk. Well, _talk _would have been the nice word for it. 

"You spent _how much _on that dress?" That was her father: always concerned about money, even though, as far as Galinda and her mother were concerned, they had more than enough of it already.

"Now, dear," her mother said, swallowing a bite of Winkie quail, "it was genuine tsebra hair. It's all the rage in the Emerald City." As long as Lady Upland was fashionable and beautiful, she didn't care about much else.

Sir Upland's face turned a deep shade of purple. "I don't care if it was--" He was interrupted by a knock at the dining hall door. "Come in," he snapped.

One of the guards, an Ox, entered as cautiously as a member of his species could. "Sir Upland," he carefully addressed his employer, "I found _this_ outside, near the forest." He shifted the large bundle of fabric in his arms to reveal the horrendibly disfigured face of a young girl.

Galinda gasped. Her mother swooned, and even her father looked a little queasy.

"Is she sick?" Galinda asked before she could stop herself.

The Ox answered her, clearly unsure of himself. "Well, she's got a bit of a fever... but I never heard of a disease that turned your face green before."

Perla, the Upland's head maid, quickly bustled over to have a look at the girl. "Tut, tut," she said, placing her hand on the discolored forehead. "You're right about the fever." She turned to Sir Upland. "If your lordship pleases, the girl will need to stay here."

Sir Upland quickly assented. "Where will you put her?"

"The Magenta Bedroom, I think," Perla answered briskly. "Better to have her close to the kitchens so I can check on her."

"Fine, then," said Sir Upland, waving his hand in dismissal. The Ox took the invalid out of the dining hall, with Perla waddling closely behind. Galinda was entirely unsure of what to say about this strange new development, so she took her parents' lead and continued eating as if nothing had happened.

_Still, _she thought, _I wonder: is she green all over, or just on her face? _She pondered the question as her parents resumed their... _discussion._

**A/N: So... whatcha think:) Constructive criticism always appreciated... remember, this is my first Wicked fanfic. Go easy on me. XD**


	2. Welcome to Gillikin

**A/N: WOW. Fourteen reviews, 104 hits, five favorites and six alerts... in ONE WEEK:) I feel like a country mouse in the big city... thanks, guys!**

**Chapter Two:**

**Welcome to Gillikin**

Two days later, Galinda sat at a vanity table in the Magenta Bedroom, turning this way and that so her hair caught the light at different angles. Occasionally, when she remembered to, she would glance at the green girl behind her in the mirror.

_I don't know why Perla even bothered _giving _me this job, _she thought, rolling her eyes. _I mean, this girl isn't even _interesting_, aside from the skin problem._ Since Perla had announced that the green girl was not contagious, she had decided that Galinda should watch her during the day and report any changes. So far she had spent a total of twenty-four hours in this room without a single movement from the verdigrisian horror.

_Except that._

Galinda watched in the mirror, her mouth agape, as the green girl stretched, yawned, and sat up straight in bed. The blonde spun around in her seat and stared unabashedly as her discolored houseguest gazed around the room in confusion. Finally, the cabbage-girl broke the silence.

"Why is it _pink_?" she whispered groggily.

"I'm sorry?"

The girl's eyes popped as she turned to face Galinda, who indignantly realized that she had gone unnoticed. She turned a deeper shade of green—was that a blush?—and quickly added, "Sorry. Not to sound like a bumpkin, but I always thought the Emerald City would be more… _green._"

Now _Galinda _was confused. "The Emerald City _is _green."

The girl groaned. "Oh, _wonderful. _In that case, my options don't look good: either I'm in hell"—she looked distastefully around the frilly magenta bedchamber—"or I've gone colorblind."

This pushed Galinda over the edge. She stood up, nearly knocking over the stool in her haste, and ran out of the room, only stopping when she reached the kitchen. She located Perla and grabbed her by the sleeve, pulling the maid down to her height.

"She's absolutely _insanified_!" she screeched.

"What in _Oz_ are you screaming about?" Perla scolded her. "Your mother is taking her _afternoon rest_," she said with a certain amount of derision, "and you're going to wake her."

She took it down a few decibels. "The green girl woke up and she's raving on about the Emerald City. She's entirely bonkers!"

Perla sighed and put a hand on Galinda's shoulder in a motherly gesture. "Look, blossom, she's been down with a high fever for three days now. She's liable to be a little… scattered. Give her a few minutes to wake up and then try talking to her again."

Galinda bit her lip and nodded. "All right."

Perla smiled and patted her on the shoulder. "Good girl."

She smiled back, spun around on her three-inch pink heel, and marched back to the Magenta Bedroom. She stopped and hovered outside the door for a moment, taking deep breaths, before putting on her best Upper-Upland-society smile and breezing in.

* * *

_They make them skittish in the Emerald City, _Elphaba thought as the pink, frothy-looking blonde girl hurried out of her bedroom. She looked down at her arms. _Then again, she wasn't wearing the tinted glasses people are always talking about… I probably scared her._

She looked around again and tried to absorb the sheer pinkness of the room. _How did I get here?_ She tried to think back, but all she could recall was weeks and weeks of endless walking… sheeting rain… and then the fire—not painful, but unbearably hot.

Just as Elphaba was finally able to concentrate, that screechy, fluffy-dressed blonde came marching back in with a fake smile plastered on her face.

"Hel-lo!" Her voice went up three octaves on the last syllable. "Feeling better?"

"A little," Elphaba said suspiciously. _I don't trust that smile. _

"Good," the blonde said, perching on the edge of the bed without asking. "Goodness, we were really scared for a couple of days there!" She reached out to touch Elphaba's shoulder, but the green girl recoiled as if she'd been burned.

"A couple of days?" she asked, confused.

"Yes," the blonde said, pasting on a look of insincere concern. "When we found you—well, when the _guard _found you—outside, near the forest, you were sick and shivering and had the worst fever Perla had ever seen!"

Elphaba, attempting to wrap her mind around the fact that she had lain unconscious in this room for nearly three days, fell, deflated, back onto the pillows. "What a welcome to the Emerald City," she laughed weakly.

The blonde's eyebrows went to her hairline, and she laughed, high and tinkly. "Is _that _where you think you are?"

Elphaba swallowed the anger bubbling up within her. "Yes," she replied tersely.

The blonde giggled. "This is Upland Manor, dear. In Gillikin." She sat up straighter and offered her hand to shake. "My name is Galinda Upland, of the Upper Uplands. And you are?"

Elphaba's mind whirled. She stood up abruptly, nearly throwing her petite hostess off the bed. "Where did you say this was?"

Galinda leaned away from her, her blue eyes as big as grapefruits. "I-I said it was the Up-upper Up-up-uplands of—"

"GILLIKIN?" Elphaba shouted, flopping back onto the bed with a groan. She put her face in her hands and lay there for a moment, too upset with herself to even be amused by the flouncy little rich girl's apparent fear of her.

_How in _Oz _did I end up in Gillikin? Must have gone north instead of west… stupid, stupid, stupid. All that planning… all that waiting… for _nothing?

She took a deep breath. _Oh, well, there will be more time for kicking myself later._

She sat up, removing her hands from her face. She took Galinda's still-outstretched hand and shook it.

"Hello," she murmured. "My name is Elphaba Thropp… and, yes, to answer your question," she said, seeing a familiar expression in Galinda's face, "I have always been green."


	3. New Faces

Chapter Three:

New Faces

"Come in," Elphaba muttered to the door as a businesslike _rap-rap-rap_ came from the other side of it. She was curled up in a ball of self-pity and resentment under her blanket, and honestly didn't want to be disturbed. However, the knocking had come every ten minutes from the time her eyes had opened and was beginning to get annoying to the point that Elphaba was prepared to deal with whoever entered the room as long as they _stopped making that infernal noise. _

She was relieved to see that, instead of the overly perky, excessively excitable Galinda, a portly woman with ruddy skin and a tray of food opened the door. The matron (it was _very _clear that this woman, in her apron and headscarf, was not Lady Upland) walked as briskly as a woman of her size could to the edge of the bed and offered Elphaba the tray with surprising warmth in her eyes.

"Thank you." Making sure that her voice and face were devoid of any emotion, Elphaba took the tray and settled it on her lap. The matron stood next to Elphaba's bed, patiently watching while she ate.

After a while, Elphaba began to get a little uneasy. _No one's ever paid this much attention to me before, _she thought, putting her fork down.

"Would you… like to sit?" she asked uncertainly.

The matron smiled. "Yes, thank you." She smoothed her skirt and sat erect on the stool next to the vanity table, her eyes unfailingly focused on Elphaba, who was by now more than a little unsettled.

"Um… this is good," she said lamely.

The matron beamed. "Thank you. I made it myself—pearlfruit is good for recovering patients."

Elphaba was astounded. She hadn't met many servants, but the few she had had barely spoken at all, much less about themselves. It threw her so far that she actually asked a question back.

"Are you…" She struggled to remember what Galinda had said the day before. "…Perla?"

"Yes. And you are Elphaba, correct?" She supposed her surprise must have shown on her face, because Perla laughed. "Oh, yes, Galinda told me everything about yesterday morning. You made quite an impression on her."

Elphaba just gaped. _Is she allowed to laugh at me like this? _

Her face elicited another chuckle from Perla. "Sorry, dear. I know this whole thing must come as a dreadful shock to you—ending up three hundred miles north of where you wanted to be, that is—without me speaking to you as an equal… but it's how I've always spoken to young Miss Galinda, and I assumed you'd be just as used to it as she is. Do you mind it that much?"

Elphaba spoke before she could think. "No, no, it's all right. You're just a little different. That's not bad." Remembering how she had learned this lesson the hard way—being shunned by everyone from Munchkins to tutors to her own parents—everyone but sweet little Nessarose—she took a heaving breath and fought the torrent of grief raining down on her heart.

Perla was instantly sympathetic. "Elphaba," she said softly, "I'm sorry. You have things you need to talk about… and not with a baggy old woman like me." She reached over and patted Elphaba's hand, then stood up and took her empty tray. "Would you like anything else?"

Elphaba shook her head vehemently. "No, thank you. That was delicious."

The matron gave her a motherly smile. "Thank _you._" She bent into a little curtsy, turned around and walked out as busily as she had come.

* * *

Elphaba thought she must have dozed off after breakfast, because the next thing she knew the light coming in her window was orange and there was a nervous tapping at her door.

"Come in," she said drowsily, wondering if it was Perla with supper.

It wasn't.

"Hello," Galinda chirped apprehensively, closing the door behind her. She clicked on the hardwood floor over to the side of Elphaba's bed, hesitated, and then sat on the stool by the vanity table.

"Miss Elphaba," she began, "if I have made you feel at _all _unwelcome at Upland Manor, I am very sorry. I apologize _most _sincerely, and hope that you accept, because I _did _wish that we could become…" She gulped and fiddled with her necklace. "…friends."

Elphaba paid little mind to this pathetic mini-monologue and instead focused her attentions on the tiny girl's voluminous lavender dress. _How in Oz does she get dressed in the morning? Must take her hours… _She snapped back to reality when she realized that Galinda was smiling smugly at her.

"I see you are admiring my dress," she said, her voice loaded with self-satisfaction. "It was made in the Emerald City, of the finest silk in all of Oz, Ev, _and _Quox, not to mention—"

Elphaba snickered. "Miss Galinda, I wasn't admiring your dress, although it is remarkably… fluffy. I was merely thinking that, while wearing it, you look a bit like an over-frosted cupcake."

Galinda gasped and stood up, placing her hands on her hips. "I did _not _come up here to be insulted!"

"Oh, really?" Elphaba choked, still cackling at her own joke. "In that case, I suppose you came up here on Perla's… _suggestion_, to pretend to apologize, hm?"

Galinda huffed. "Well… yes. But," she added quickly when Elphaba opened her mouth to make another cutting remark, "I also came to tell you that the Upper Uplands Grand Cotillion is being held in three days' time. My mother thought you might like to attend." Elphaba supposed the blonde took her look of pure incredulity as curiosity, because she continued: "The dress is formal, of course, so you'll need to wear a ballgown—"

Elphaba cut her off. "As much as I would _hate _to miss this… cotillion… I'm afraid that I don't actually have a ballgown."

Galinda's mouth dropped. "You didn't bring a _ballgown_?"

Elphaba mockingly slapped herself on the forehead. "Stupid me, I was running away to the Emerald City with nothing but the bare essentials I could carry on my back. _How _could I have _possibly _forgotten my _ballgown_?"

Galinda looked at her blankly. "Exactly." She smiled. "I'm sure Perla can fit you for one." She looked like she was about to say something else, but a large bell tolling from the front of the castle captured her attention. She quickly smoothed her skirts, fluffed her hair, and snuck a look in the mirror. "That'll be our first guests now. If you're up to it, and you have an acceptable frock to wear, you really _should _come meet them. I think you're just fine—you're positively _glowing._"

Elphaba winced. _Maybe I deserved that. _"I think I will," she said, leaving Galinda looking a little shell-shocked. _Oh, yes, I know you didn't mean it. Why do you think I'm going?_ "I'll get bedsores if I stay laid up much longer."

"A-all right," Galinda sputtered. "Just be out soon, Perla likes to get guests situated in their rooms about fifteen minutes from when they arrive."

"Fine," Elphaba said with a crisp nod. "I'll be out in ten." With that, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood confidently. Suddenly she realized that she was about six inches taller than the perky little nuisance, and grinned at her mirthfully as she backed out of the room. Chuckling, she reached into her bag for a black frock and her boots. _I may actually have more fun _outside _of this room than I have in it._

* * *

As she had promised, Elphaba emerged from her room in ten minutes. As she clomped down the hallway, tugging on her braid, she braced herself for a snooty, overly made-up middle-aged woman toting a snooty, overly made-up teenage daughter in dresses that were corseted to the point that it made their eyes pop. She prepared herself to be looked at in revulsion and talked about like she wasn't there.

She did not, however, prepare for what actually awaited her in the foyer.

And that, she realized as she stepped through the archway, was the most beautiful boy she had ever seen.


	4. Enter the Prince

Chapter Four:

Enter the Prince

Yes, he was purely amazing. Even from this distance, Elphaba was able to tell that much. His brown hair was tousled casually; he had an adolescent face that wasn't quite childishly round, but didn't have the hard, cynical quality of adulthood, either; his muscles were wiry and defined. He was tall and slim, and wearing a short-sleeved brown tunic over a red shirt, cream leggings, and black boots. A cocky smile spread over his face as he bowed to Sir and Lady Upland and hugged Galinda, stirring Elphaba's stomach with shallow jealousy.

Then he saw her.

Inwardly she winced. _Don't just stand there like an idiot, _she thought. _Walk over there! _And she did, holding her head high and not offering any evidence that this boy's very presence was making her stomach wobble.

As she got closer, the angel boy raised his eyebrows and stared at her face. For a moment she actually couldn't figure out why he was staring, and put a hand to her face to see if there was pearlfruit gunk on her cheek. When she pulled it away, she remembered that she was green, and felt fairly disgusted with herself.

Finally, she stopped, standing a good distance away from Galinda. As he turned toward her and started walking, her stomach swung back and forth like the pendulum of a clock.

He stopped inches from her and bowed slightly. "Hello," he said in a husky tenor. "I am Fiyero Tiggular, Prince of the Arjikis." When he looked up at her, she was shocked to see that there was not a hint of disgust or revulsion in his face. Not a single trace of it.

She was speechless. _Oh, Oz, his eyes are green… _She stood there, focusing on trying to breathe, when she realized that the Uplands, Fiyero (such a beautiful name), and two people behind him who must be his parents were all waiting for her to form a coherent sentence. _Say something. __**Anything!**_

"Hello," she replied, bobbing into an unsteady curtsy. "I am Elphaba Thropp, of Munchkinland."

He smiled crookedly at her. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Elphaba. Will you be attending the Uplands Cotillion?"

Her heart fluttered loudly. _Please don't let him have heard that… _"Uh, yes. Yes I am. I will definitely be there." _He gets it. Stop talking before you really embarrass yourself._

He clasped her hand (was she imagining that he squeezed it before letting go?). "I'm looking forward to it." Her heart stopped.

_Oh, stop, you look like a complete dunderhead. You're green. A freak. You don't have a chance. _She thought about how he had hugged Galinda and her heart lurched.

She tried to smile, but it came out looking more like a grimace. "I am too."

He chuckled and walked away, leaving Elphaba to stare after him like the lovesick fool that she was.

Suddenly Galinda was behind her. "Would you like to eat dinner with our guests, Miss Elphaba?" she asked her sweetly.

Elphaba turned slowly to face her. "I… I'm not hungry." She walked dazedly back to her bedroom, shutting the door softly behind her.

* * *

_Fiyero Tiggular, Prince of the Arjikis. Prince Fiyero Tiggular of the Arjikis. Arjiki Prince, Fiyero Tiggular. Fiyero Tiggular. Fiyero Tiggular. Fiyero…_

_STOP! _Elphaba sat straight up in her bed, glaring at the part of her that was thinking these thoughts.

_He's a _prince_! A handsome prince who is coming to the ball to meet his beautiful princess. _She stood up, walked over to the mirror, and touched her reflection.

_There's nothing in the story about the green freak running away with the handsome prince…_

_Unless…_She shook her head. _No. Well… maybe._

Before she knew it, she was clomping down the corridor, trudging up the grand staircase, and knocking on Galinda's bedroom door.

The little blonde opened the door with an irritated look on her face. "Miss Pfanee, I told you I—" Her eyes widened. "Miss Elphaba! I—I… What brings you here?"

_I don't have time for this. _"Can you help me…" She tried for a moment to find some words that didn't sound so hopelessly _blonde, _but decided that this might be the easiest way of getting Galinda to understand. "…be pretty?"

* * *

"_Ouch!_"

"Sorry, hon. That's the price of beauty." _I'm enjoying this too much, _Galinda thought as she plucked Elphaba's eyebrows. She was still trying to figure out why the green girl had come to her asking for help "being pretty"; however, she was not one to look a gift Horse in the mouth. _This is the makeover of a lifetime. If I can pull this off, I can brag about it for the rest of my life!_

She put down the tweezers and stared at her creation. She had coaxed Elphaba into a midnight-purple satin gown that called attention to her statuesque figure without making her look like a celery stick. The girl's hair was unadorned except for a violet flower tucked behind her ear—Galinda had to admit that the effect these small efforts were having on her protégée were astonishing.

_And if she's not enjoying this, I'm a Monkey with feathers. _It was true—the green girl had willingly allowed herself to be poked, plucked, and painted with an almost _dreamy _(almost) look on her face the entire time.

Suddenly it dawned on Galinda that there might actually be a plausible (well… it would be plausible for any _other _girl) reason why Miss Elphaba was subjecting herself to this makeover. As she picked up an emery board and started filing down the tips of her makeup dummy's unsettlingly green fingernails, she put the question out in the open:

"What's his name?"

Elphaba immediately pulled her hand away. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the boy that you're trying to make yourself pretty for."

Elphaba snorted. "Miss Galinda, I'm surprised at you. While I was certain at this point that you are vain and more than a little self-centered, I never imagined that you would fall victim to such a chauvinistic society that claims that women can only improve their appearance for the pleasure of men."

Galinda looked blankly at her. "I'm sorry?"

Elphaba huffed. "There is _no boy._" She handed the nail file back and stuck out her left hand.

Galinda reluctantly began filing Elphaba's fingernails again. _I'm pretty sure I know who he is anyway… _She decided to try a different tack.

"It's been nice seeing _Fiyero _again," she said, fishing for a reply.

Elphaba's expression couldn't have been more revealing if her ears had perked up. "Oh," she said, stumbling a little. "how, uh, nice for you."

"We've been good _friends _since we were tiny," Galinda said emphatically. "But he's _available _at the moment, as far as I know."

Elphaba took her hand back and placed it in her lap. She stared at her feet for a long time, and then finally asked, "what makes you so sure I'm doing this for him?"

Galinda laughed. "Dear, you've made it obvious. The minute you met him you were _speechless, _and then you just went back to your room without a word. You stayed in there for two and a half days, sending your meals back barely touched, probably not even sleeping. And I will bet anything that you spent that entire two and a half days saying his name over and over again in your head." She clutched her heart dramatically. "'Fiyero, Fiyero!'"

"How did you know about my meals?" Elphaba asked, clearly stalling.

Galinda smirked. "It pays to be friends with the help."

Elphaba crossed her arms and stared hard at her. "But she's more than just 'help' to you, isn't she?"

Galinda's mouth dropped. "I don't know what you mean."

"Oh, I think you do," Elphaba said matter-of-factly. "Perla is like a mother to you. She is the _only one _in this castle who actually _cares _about you, actually loves you. And as much as you hate to admit it, you ungrateful high-society _witch,_ you love her too. And do you know what really makes me angry?" Her face was forest green with fury. "_You _are afraid to own up to a life, a relationship, a _family_ that I would kill to have!"

Both of them were silent for a minute, Galinda with paralyzing fear and Elphaba with unadulterated rage. Galinda finally spoke.

"You're never going to tell anyone why you ran away from wherever you came from, are you?" she asked softly.

Elphaba did not reply. Instead, she stood up and headed for the door. Before she left, she turned back and whispered something so quietly Galinda almost missed it.

"Thank you."

And then Galinda was alone.

* * *

Elphaba strode down the hallway in her new shoes: the ones that matched her dress and clicked instead of clomping on the stone floor.

_How did she see straight through me like that?_ she wondered, walking a little faster. _However she did it, I can't let it happen again. I'll have to try harder to—Oh, Oz._

There was that stunning Winkie prince again, walking briskly in the other direction. When he saw Elphaba, he slowed down, smiled at her, and kept walking.

She stopped in her tracks. _It's a miracle, _she thought. _Someone actually stared at me without vomiting._

She looked back at Galinda's bedroom, sighed, and continued on to her bedroom to await that night's ball.

**A/N: Sorry if Fiyero seems a bit… Mary-Sueish at the moment. XD It's just because we don't know him very well. Maybe I'm imagining things… : ) Thank you all so much for reading/reviewing this story! I hope the pattern continues with this chapter.**


	5. Careful Transitions

**A/N: OH MY OZNESS. I'm so sorry, guys. I know this took me forever, and I really hope that you like the chapter that came from allll that waiting. I promise I will NEVER put this on hiatus again.**

**And, without further ado: on to the chapter.**

Chapter Five:

Careful Transitions

**FIYERO'S POV**

Fiyero was really beginning to get vexed with his tie.

"Is there really a reason why northern men have to wear these things, anyway?" he grumbled to no one as he tried in vain to make the absurd-looking thing more comfortable. Eventually he gave up, flopping down onto his four-poster bed.

The thoughts he had been having lately were very strange—stranger, even, than that he had been thinking at all. He just couldn't get the green girl out of his head.

_Elphaba._ It had an almost lyrical quality to it, like the sound the Vinkus River madeas it rushed past you.

Obviously, the green was what he had noticed first… but then he had looked closer. Her eyes were green, too; they were also large, and observant, and fiery-looking. Her features were angular: straight nose, square jaw, slightly pointed chin. But her mouth had a fullness to it that revealed something… softer.

Of course, he hadn't just looked at her face. No, the great Fiyero Tiggular never saw a girl's face and stopped there. He had indulged himself in a glance at her body: she was tall (she could almost look him in the eye) and mostly thin, with long arms and legs and a waist that practically begged him to put a hand on it.

He couldn't remember _ever _thinking about a girl this much. He was amazed that e could remember how warm her skin had been when he'd shaken her hand, or the things he'd wanted to do, to say, when he'd seen her in that purple dress. He couldn't believe that he'd wanted to _talk _to her, ask her a million questions: about her family, what she liked to do, whether or not she was some kind of inverse Quadling… all right, maybe that last one could wait. But he wanted to ask her everything.

He sighed, shook his head, checked his hair, and left the room. The ball would be starting soon, and as odd as it was to admit, he wanted to be there when Elphaba made her entrance.

* * *

**ELPHABA'S POV**

For the second time that evening, Elphaba was standing at Galinda's door, wondering what in Oz was making her do what she was doing.

She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. After waiting a minute with no answer, she cleared her throat awkwardly and said, "Miss Galinda? Please open up… I just wanted to…"

Suddenly the door cracked open and a pouting, ruffled-looking Galinda was staring out at her.

"Yes?" she asked icily.

"Can I come in?" Galinda hesitated for a moment, but finally she glared at her guest and opened the door.

"Thank you." Elphaba went to the back of the room and stood there awkwardly while Galinda closed the door.

The petite blonde turned to her and crossed her arms. "Well?"

"I… I'm sorry that I… well… what I mean is… sorry about earlier… when I… right," she said slowly. "It's just… you have someone that loves you, and you don't appreciate it. You're lucky to have that, no matter who she is." She turned her face away. "Some people don't," she murmured.

"Don't you have a family?" Elphaba looked up sharply. Under all the makeup and pretenses, there was a look of genuine concern on Galinda's face. She was so taken aback by the actual _emotion _from the girl that she showed some back.

Her shoulders slumped before she could tell them not to. "I used to."

The concern on Galinda's face actually _deepened_, and she moved as if to touch Elphaba's arm. Elphaba, however, was across the room in seconds.

"Thank you for the dress," she whispered as she hurried out the door.

* * *

_Two hours later…_

_This was a mistake, _Elphaba thought as she surreptitiously watched the people below her dancing around the ballroom. The Upland Manor ballroom was built in such a way that it was slightly beneath the rest of the castle, with a grand staircase leading down into the center of the room. This staircase was positioned so debutantes could make their entrances into Gillikin society with everyone watching them.

Obviously, the builders of Upland Manor had not factored in a green girl who wanted to be anything but seen.

Said green girl was watching the cotillion from the walkway above the ballroom that led to the staircase. Cleverly hidden between two large houseplants, she was able to see all the goings-on of the high-society breakouts… including _him._

He was talking to Galinda, who was smiling at him and bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. She seemed to be asking him something, and he semed to be sheepishly refusing. Oh, Oz, was he _blushing_? Elphaba felt her face getting hot, too. He was very attractive when he was embarrassed.

Eventually he looked like he was relenting, and he looked casually around the ballroom, his eyebrows furrowing when he didn't find what he was looking for.

_Is he looking for me?_ Elphaba shook her had. The idea was idiotic and self-centered—why would he be looking for her? But he still looked like he was looking for someone, and whoever else it could've been was in plain sight.

She tentatively removed herself from the indoor foliage and made her way to the top of the staircase.

The herald who had announced the names of all the other girls at the cotillion had to swallow a look of revulsion before asking, "Your name, miss?"

"Elphaba," she answered simply. The herald waited for her to say her last name or where she came from, but when she didn't, he cleared his throat and boomed, "Miss Elphaba" over the throngs of people.

And she descended the staircase.

As she expected, all eyes were on her. She was unfazed by the people who were pointing and gasping.

But when she saw hat Fiyero was gaping at her with a look of pure wonder and a little gleam of mischief in his eyes, she stumbled a little and almost went head over heels down the stairs. She caught herself quickly, before anyone noticed, and continued on down.

She wouldn't have been surprised if a couple of Ozmas had come and gone before she finally set foot on the marble floor of the ballroom. The dancing resumed, but more than a few people still stared and whispered when they thought she couldn't see. Elphaba quickly took her place on the wall and crossed her arms over her chest, blocking out the rest of the world.

**FIYERO'S POV**

_There she is._

Fiyero gulped and started to run his fingers through his hair, but then stopped himself. Never in his life had he been too nervous to talk to a girl. This time should have been no exception… except it was.

He shook his head, took a deep breath, and started across the ballroom to where she was standing on the wall, holding herself tightly. He felt a surge of pity for her, and wondered why she felt like she had to close herself off like that.

One look around the ballroom and he had his answer: all the girls (and some of the boys) dancing around on the marble floor were either staring at her or muttering about her like she wasn't even there. He felt a violent and alarming sense of loathing for every person in the room except Elphaba and the person who had given him the courage to ask her to dance.

"Come on," Galinda had needled him as she bounced up and down impatiently, "you and I both know she'll say yes if you just _ask. _I can't believe you didn't pick up on her little swoon when you introduced yourself to her. Go talk to herrrrr!" And then she'd done that little jumping-back-and-forth thing that had won every argument between them since they were seven years old. And, so, here he was, halfway across the ballroom, more scared than he could ever remember being.

He was almost there. She'd seen him—_should I smile at her? _hethought nervously. He decided to take a chance and shot her a crooked grin.

Then something remarkable happened: she _smiled back._ It was tiny, lopsided, and barely noticeable, but it was there, and it made her look even more beautiful than she already was. It made him smile wider and puff his chest out a little; she was _glad to see him._

Now he was standing right in front of her. He took a deep breath and bowed with a flourish. "Miss Elphaba, wasn't it?"

He could have sworn she turned a deeper shade of green—a blush? "Yes," she mumbled so quietly he could barely hear her.

He held his hand out. "Would you care to dance?"

She bit her lip and looked at him for a fraction of a second, as though suspecting that he was playing a joke on her. Finally, she placed her hand in his and they swept out to the dance floor.


	6. Beauty and the Beast

**A/N: Fiyeraba fluffiness.**

Chapter Six:

Beauty and the Beast

His hand felt warm and protective around hers. Touching him gave Elphaba a pleasant tingly feeling in her stomach, and it also made her very, very nervous. There was a voice screaming at her in her head: _DON'T MESS UP!_

She was so focused on not tripping over her high heels and breaking an ankle that it took her a moment to realize that the dancing had come to a complete stop--everyone was too busy gawping at the handsome prince and the mysterious green girl to get their feet to move. Fiyero ignored them and bowed deeply to her; she bounced awkwardly in what was supposed to be a curtsy, and he chuckled, sending her heartbeat skyrocketing.

He kept her hand in his and placed his other hand at the small of her back. Somehow her free hand found its way to his shoulder… and they danced.

Later, Elphaba would be massively embarrassed by what was going on in her head at that moment: _He's touching me. He's actually touching me without jumping back in horror. Has that ever happened before?_

_Yes. _She swallowed the painful memories that had blissfully left her alone for the past week. Her face must have flickered for a moment, though, because Fiyero looked mildly concerned.

"Are you all right, Miss Elphaba?"

"Yes," she replied too quickly. "It's, ah… my ankles. They aren't very strong, you see, and I'm afraid I'll…" she trailed off ungracefully, worried that he might see through her lie if she used too many details.

He smiled at her and pulled her closer to him, securing his grip on her waist. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "I won't let you fall."

Elphaba froze up. _Oh my Oz… He's… Is he? No, he can't be… _flirting _with me?_ He smiled at her again. _Whatever he's doing, it's a good thing he's holding me up, because _I can't feel my legs.

For a few glorious minutes, she was flying with him, not caring about any of the people who were pointing and gaping…

…but she had to come down sometime.

He whispered in her ear again. "You know, I wouldn't be doing this right now if Galinda hadn't pestered me so."

A surge of icy shock, and then white-hot rage, coursed through her as she realized what he meant. She dropped her arms to her sides and wriggled out of his grasp, nearly knocking him over in the process.

"Miss Elphaba?" He seemed to realize that he had done something wrong, but he couldn't figure out what.

She glared at him for a split second, then turned tail and ran. She caught snatches of conversation as she escaped:

"She's running away from him!"

"Where does she get off—"

"If she doesn't want him, I'll—"

She didn't pay attention, only ran from what had caused her so much pain, like she always did.

_It was a lie, it was all a lie, he didn't really want you, all he wanted was a cheap laugh at the monster… how could you have thought otherwise? Idiot._

Eventually, she found herself out of the ballroom and in what appeared to be the Uplands' garden. The flowers were all closed up, sleeping in wait of the coming dawn, while moonlight spilled over them in waves. There was a little cobblestone path running through the flora, and Elphaba could feel the stones under her bare feet; her shoes had slipped off some time ago.

Finally, she came to a rose-covered trellis with a bench sitting under it. She sat down on it clumsily, crying silently as she lamented her broken heart, her bruised pride, and her aching feet.

She didn't know how much time had passed before she heard footsteps running up the path. A very disheveled-looking Fiyero burst out of the bushes, panting like a dog.

"Miss… Elphaba," he puffed, trying to catch his breath. She said nothing while he regained his composure and straightened his tie. "Miss Elphaba," he repeated, standing up straight, "why did you run away? Was it something I said, or did I get too close, or—"

"Ha!" Elphaba laughed derisively. "Don't play stupid with me. You know what you said."

Fiyero looked bewildered. "Miss Elphaba, I'm not _playing. _I really don't know what you're talking about."

Her eyes narrowed. "So that's how it's going to be? All right." She stood up slowly. "Imagine, if you will, that you are a fourteen-year-old girl who is completely smitten with a boy she met three days ago."

Fiyero brightened a little. "You're completely smi—" Elphaba looked daggers at him, and he stopped mid-sentence.

"Also imagine," she said in an ice-cold voice, "that you have been ridiculed, ostracized, and occasionally _hated _all your life.

Now, think for a minute: if the boy you were smitten with asked you to dance, and then told you that the only reason he asked you was because another girl told him to, wouldn't you be _angry, hurt, _and a little suspicious?"

Fiyero's mouth dropped. "Miss Elphaba, I don't know what you're talking about, but I'll tell you right now that I—"

"Oh, come off it!" she snapped. "I don't know how, but you and Miss Galinda were plotting to humiliate me right there in the middle of the ballroom."

His eyes widened. "Miss Elphaba, that's not what—"

"Oh, yes it was! I _saw _you two together… she was so _happy _about it, too, the little witch. You know what? She can have you. You deserve each—"

Suddenly she stopped screaming at him, due to the fact that his mouth was covering hers.

_I can't just let him kiss me like this!_

He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her there firmly.

_Well… all right. But I refuse to kiss him back._

He rubbed circles into her back and tugged a little at her bottom lip.

_Fine. But I will _not _enjoy it… oh, forget it._

After a couple of seconds, he drew back slowly and smiled hopefully.

"What. Was that?" Elphaba asked as angrily as she could muster, when she could speak again.

"That," he said with a grin, "was the only way I could think of to get you to shut up for a second."

The surge of complete hatred she made herself feel for him at that moment was penetrated by her realization that he was still holding her.

"Are you willing to listen now?" She just scowled at him. "Good."

"First of all, Galinda was _not _plotting to humiliate you, and neither was I. I really wanted to ask you to dance… but I was nervous." His eyes softened a little. "I was afraid you would say no. So I talked to Galinda, and she told me to ask you. She gets excited very easily." He chuckled. "I thought you'd have figured that out by now."

She just stared at him. "You thought I would say _no_?" she whispered in disbelief. "I've never been asked to dance in my life!"

He looked at her sadly. "Which brings me to my second point." He squeezed her and placed his chin on top of her head, leaving her to smell his neck (which was not entirely unpleasant).

Elphaba could barely hear him as he whispered to her. "You must be so lonely… who hated you so much that the first time someone liked you, you thought I was lying?"

She didn't know whether she was meant to hear Fiyero's words or not, but they made something break inside of her. She felt her arms slipping around his neck, and he turned her face up to wipe away the tears she hadn't known were there.

"You think everyone thinks you're ugly," he murmured, running his hand through her hair. "You never even considered that someone might think you were beautiful."

_He thinks I'm beautiful. _That was the last thought she had before he tilted her chin up and kissed her again, more softly this time.


	7. Telling Secrets

**A/N: Oh my goodness, guys, I am SO SORRY. This took me forever, I know… I've been busy. School is killing me. But that's no excuse. :( Forgive me?**

**I'm going to warn you now, updates from now on are going to be pretty slow. Homework is burying me alive. But I'll update, just because someone was nice enough to nominate me for a Wicked Fanfiction Award. :) Even though I probably won't win, I'd like to say thanks to whoever did that, and I really want to deserve that nomination. So... here ya go. :) Looove.**

Chapter Seven:

Telling Secrets

Galinda huffed as she realized that she was being very rudely awakened by someone pounding at her door. She turned over to check her clock and groaned when she saw that it was only eleven o'clock in the morning.

_Should I answer it? _she wondered drowsily, contemplating rolling over and going back to sleep.

The pounding got more urgent. _Maybe I'd better get up and open the door before whoever is out there goes insanified. _She blew a curl that had gone limp out of her face and begrudgingly got out of bed. _Oh, the disrespectation…_

It wasn't really a surprise to see Elphaba standing in the hallway with her fist raised to continue pounding on the door.

"Hello," Galinda greeted her with a yawn. She apologized quickly while she stretched. "I'm sorry. I was just sleeping off the ball. Why are you up so early?"

"I didn't really sleep," Elphaba shrugged.

"Oh. I didn't see you at all after you ran out—did you and Fiyero have a fight?"

"It was just a misunderstanding."

"Oh?" Galinda raised her eyebrows. "So I was right about you and Master Fiyero being… compatible with each other?"

Elphaba closed her eyes and sighed. "I wanted to thank you for that, by the—"

"Ooooh, I _knew _it!" Galinda squealed, causing Elphaba to wince. "The way you were denying it, I was afraid you really _didn't _like him, but you do!" She jumped in a circle and clapped her hands as she said this, but stopped when she saw that the green girl was rolling her eyes at her.

"Thank you for informing all of Oz," she said sarcastically. "I was going to do it myself, but it would have taken me twice as long."

Galinda chose to ignore her. "Tell me _everything,_" she gushed, sitting down on her bed. She patted the spot next to her in the hope that Elphaba might actually choose to be social.

The green girl shocked her by actually obliging: she sat down, crossed her legs casually, and asked, "What do you want to know?"

Galinda was speechless. _Well, you could knock me over with a feather. _After taking a moment to recover, she replied, "Well… did he _kiss _you?"

"That is one very personal question, Galinda."

"Please? Wait," Galinda said slowly as something dawned on her, "did you just call me _Galinda_?"

"Well, it's your name, isn't it?"

"No, it's not that. You've never called me just _Galinda. _It's always been _Miss _Galinda, or, in one instance"—she crossed her arms and pretended to pout—" 'overfrosted cupcake'."

Surprisingly, Elphaba laughed. She had a quiet little chuckle that didn't sound like it had been used much. "I was recovering from a three-day coma. Forgive me if I was a little moody."

Galinda giggled, then turned serious again. "Please tell me?"

Elphaba sighed. "Yes, he kissed me."

This elicited a squeal from Galinda so loud that the servants cleaning on the first floor looked up and wondered who was dying. "Oooooh, YAY! I knew it I knew it I knew it!" She got up and started to jump up and down with glee, but Elphaba grabbed her arm.

"If you tell _anyone…_" she growled.

"Oh, I wouldn't." Galinda surprised herself by actually meaning it. She couldn't bring herself to think about revealing Elphaba's secret to anyone else, as she had done to so many other girls.

"Good."

Galinda sighed happily, and then looked curiously at Elphaba. "Why did you come up here to tell me about this?"

She shrugged. "I just thought you might like to know."

And then Elphaba actually smiled at her.

From that point on, Galinda thought of her not as her guest, or her project, but as her friend.

Elphaba sat and listened to Galinda chatter about the various people at the ball for a good hour before a messenger came up to inform her that Master Fiyero was looking for her in the garden.

Galinda giggled. "Oh, go on, Elphie," she squealed, using the new nickname that would stick forever, "don't keep him waiting. Tell me _everything _when you get back, all right?"

Elphaba nodded and smiled as she hurried out the door. _Thank Oz,_ she thought as she headed down the stairs. _Galinda _can _be nice when she wants to be, but I've never heard anyone talk for so long without a breath. _

She was out of the castle and making her way down the cobblestone path in the garden when she felt a pair of arms work their way around her waist from behind.

"Hello," a husky voice whispered in her ear.

"Good morning, Master Fiyero," she said primly.

Fiyero turned her to face him without losing his grip on her waist. "Oh, come on, don't be so formal," he pleaded. "Just Fiyero, please."

She smiled wryly at him. "All right, then… good morning, just Fiyero."

He sighed and pecked her on the lips. "It's a start." She could tell by the way he was holding her so close to him that he wanted to kiss her more deeply, but there was a guard standing nearby who was watching them like a hawk.

He let go of her and sedately offered her his arm. "Walk with me?"

She took it. "Of course."

They strolled aimlessly around the garden for a few minutes before Fiyero asked her the question.

"So, where is your family?"

Elphaba looked up sharply from the rose she had been examining. "What?"

"Where is your family?" he repeated gingerly. "I just haven't seen anyone around here who…" He trailed off, but Elphaba could hear the "looks like you" he had tactfully left out.

"Umm…" She had to think quickly before answering. "My family isn't here. With me."

"Oh?" He looked confused. "Where are they?"

"My father is the governor of Munchkinland," she explained. "He's very busy."

"And your mother?"

Elphaba winced involuntarily. "She's… dead."

Fiyero instantly looked sorry. He gently put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a small squeeze. "No brothers or sisters?"

Elphaba bit her lip, took a deep breath, and answered, "No." _Well, it's true… I don't currently have a sister. _She knew she probably looked guilty, and swiftly deflected it by asking, "What about your family? I'm sure it's much more exciting than mine."

Fiyero's eyebrows furrowed at her, but he answered her question. "Well, my mother is here with me; she's the only one who cares about these social things. My father and sisters are back in the Vinkus, at our southern castle, Noriko…"

_Elphaba rarely dreamed, but when she did, it was never pleasant._

_It started in Munchkinland, two months before. It was winter, and Elphaba was pushing Nessarose's wheelchair around the snow-covered grounds._

"_Just tell me if you get cold, all right, Nessa?"_

_Nessarose turned around in her chair. "Elphaba, I'm _fine._ It's so beautiful out here!"_

"_All right," Elphaba reluctantly relented. "But remember, if you get chilly…"_

_The twelve-year-old huffed. "I know, I know, we'll go inside. Look, it's snowing!" Little puffs of white drifted down from the sky, and Elphaba could feel the cold on her face._

_Nessa caught a few snowflakes on her tongue, then sighed happily and exclaimed, "Isn't it beautiful, Elphaba?"_

_Elphaba looked at her sister. Her cheeks were pink with happiness and cold, her hair was flecked with snow, and her eyes shone like the sun glinting off the icy puddles._

"_Yes, Nessa, it is."_

_Suddenly she was taken from that happy scene in the garden to Nessa's bedroom, five weeks later. The fire was crackling ominously, and Nessa was deathly pale._

_Elphaba was kneeling by her sister's bed, spooning soup into her mouth. "I'm so sorry, Nessa."_

_Nessa swallowed a mouthful of soup and smiled weakly. "I'm sure I'll get better," she rasped. "It's only a little… cold…" Even so, her eyes began to close slowly._

_Elphaba gasped and shook her. "Nessa… Nessa, no!"_

"_Goodbye…"_

"_NESSA!"_

Fiyero was lazily walking back to his bedroom from the bathroom. _Why in Oz they keep it on the first floor is beyond me, _he thought, sleepily incredulous, as he made his way back up to his third-floor bedroom.

He heard something. _Is someone crying? _He looked around and opened the nearest door a crack.

The person crying—whoever they were—was thrashing around madly in their sleep; so much that the blanket was knocked entirely off the bed to reveal a whimpering Elphaba.

He started to go in, but hesitated. _If I'm caught in her room, we could get in trouble… I'd have to go home…_

She suddenly cried out. "NESSA!" This brought on another, stronger wave of sobbing.

He rushed in without giving it a second thought.

Elphaba wanted nothing more at that moment than to give in to the sobs that wracked her body, to cry and thrash and never come out of her dream and face the real world.

But someone grabbed her, held her still, and whispered soothingly in her ear. "Elphaba, I'm here. You're here with me in your room in Upland Manor. Shh, don't cry, don't cry…"

She realized that this was the first time she'd let herself cry for her sister. "Nessa," she moaned tearfully. "Nessa…"

"Shh, it's all right…"

Eventually she stopped sobbing, but her tears still fell steadily. Fiyero took her by the shoulders and whispered kindly to her.

"Why don't you come with me to the garden and tell me what's wrong?" he asked softly. "And this time," he said, looking her square in the eye, "don't leave anything out."

Elphaba sniffed loudly, held him close to her, and whispered, "All right."


	8. Soup to Nuts

Chapter Eight:  
Soup to Nuts

Elphaba slowly followed Fiyero to the garden in nothing but her nightgown. She was lucky that his hand was still securely wrapped around hers; otherwise she would have fallen down and never gotten back up. The night air was still, cool, and comforting, and she felt her heart release a little of its grief now that she was in a place that was big enough to contain it.

Eventually they reached a patch of grass near the trellis where they'd talked the night before (had it really only been that long?), and he sat down next to her.

"All right," he said gently, "just start whenever you're ready."

She took a deep breath, collecting her thoughts… and she began.

"When I said I didn't have any siblings, I meant… currently.

I had a younger sister not too long ago. Her name was Nessarose, and she was, at one point, the only person in the world who loved me."

Fiyero looked like he wanted to say something, but Elphaba looked at him and he thought better of it.

"Don't interrupt, please," she told him. "This is the first time I've ever told this story, and if you make me stop I won't start again." She sat quietly for a moment, trying to figure out where she left off.

Finally, she continued. "She was a weak, sickly little thing. When my mother was pregnant with her, Father made her chew milk flowers so she'd come out… the right color," she murmured, looking down at her hands. "Something went wrong… Nessa came out with her legs all tangled up, and Mother went to sleep and never woke up." She bit her lip. "Father always blamed me for that, and he had every right to. If I hadn't been like this—"

Fiyero took her hand. "Look, I'm sorry to interrupt, but you were getting off track anyway. Whatever this is," he whispered, "it isn't your fault you were born with it. In fact," he said, half-smiling, "I kind of like it. It makes you… unique."

_It isn't your fault… it isn't your fault…_ The words reverberated in Elphaba's head. All her life, she had been blamed for everything, whether it was Nessa, or her mother, or the strange things that always happened when she was angry. It didn't matter if she controlled it or not; it was _all _because of her. She had never even considered that some things might have been the doing of something that had nothing to do with her. It felt… good.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, looking remorseful. "Please, go on."

"Thank you." She tore her eyes away from his face and looked down at her hands. "Even though Nessa was almost always sick, and she had a power-hungry streak"—she laughed bitterly—"I loved her. It was the one thing Father and I had in common. We spoiled her; between all his gifts and my pushing her around—she was in a wheelchair—wherever she wanted to go, she probably thought she was royalty. She would've been; Father made her the heir to the governance of Munchkinland."

Fiyero's eyes widened in recognition, but he said nothing as Elphaba went on.

"It doesn't snow very often in Munchkinland, so when Nessa looked out her window a few months ago and asked me if we could go out, I couldn't say no. We went outside, and she thought it was wonderful, but I guess she got cold. A few days later, she had a terrible fever, and she wasn't breathing very well.

We all tried to take care of her; the best doctor in Munchkinland came to see her every day, and we did everything he said. But every time it looked like she was getting better, she got worse.

Finally, one day, about three weeks ago, she couldn't talk to anyone who was right there in front of her. She spoke to invisible people, and screamed once that her head was on fire. The doctor made me move out of our bedroom. I didn't want to, but Father wouldn't let me stay with her… I snuck in every day anyway. She… still wouldn't talk to me." Elphaba could feel sobs coming up, and had to pause every few minutes to swallow them. "But I think she could still hear me... even on that last day, when she was basically in a coma.

Then, one day, the doctor came out of her bedroom and asked what we wanted to do with her wheelchair… and she was gone."

She hadn't looked up from her hands for few minutes, but she could feel Fiyero's sympathy without looking at his face. He squeezed her hand.

"I'm sor—"

"_Don't say it,_" she snapped, glancing up at him sharply. She regretted it instantly; he looked so hurt that she actually felt a little pain. "It just doesn't mean anything anymore."

He gave her a strange, but empathetic, look and changed the subject. "How did you end up in the Gillikin?"

"After Nessa's funeral," she swallowed again, "I just knew I couldn't stay in Munchkinland any longer. No one even bothered to say that they were sorry to me… except Father's dignitaries." She made a face and went on.

"I wanted to run to the Emerald City, but I took a wrong turn somewhere and got lost in the Great Gillikin Forest during the rainy season, probably collapsed somewhere on the Manor grounds, and woke up in the Magenta Bedroom three days later."

Fiyero raised his eyebrows, looking confused, so she explained. "I had a very mild form of Ozmonia," she whispered. "I had what Nessa had, and I _lived._"

Elphaba looked up at Fiyero, and she realized she was crying. "She _died_, and I lived… why did she have to die?"

What happened next was mostly a blur. All she could remember afterward was him, holding her and stroking her hair while she cried into his nightshirt.

He didn't let go of her when she was finished crying. Instead, he laid her down gently in the grass and whispered in her ear. "Elph… Fae," he spontaneously pet named her, "I am genuinely, _really_ sorry that happened to you."

He smiled sadly and lay down next to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "But I'm glad you came here instead of going to the Emerald City."

Elphaba kissed him softly, but she couldn't reply. As she fell asleep, she thought she murmured his name, or part of it—"Yero"—before her eyes shut completely.

But that could've been a dream.

**A/N: For those of you out there wondering, Ozmonia is a form of pneumonia that is found only in... Oz. XD Yes, I made it up. Yes, I only created it because I needed something that moved faster than regular pneumonia. No, I don't own Wicked. (Don't know if I've said that yet.)**


	9. Broken Again

**A/N: Oh my Ozness, guys, I am so sorry. I could list all the excuses I have for not posting this chapter for so long, but it would take a long time, and possibly keep you from reading the actual chapter... I'll just say, Hope it's worth it, and let you read.**

Chapter Nine:

Broken Again

It was hours before sunlight finally began to filter through Elphaba's eyelids. She felt the grass beneath her and panicked—_Where am I?_—before remembering what had happened the previous night. Feeling torn open, raw, and deliciously peaceful at the same time, she snuggled into Fiyero's chest and sighed.

Her feeling of contentment was shattered by two piercing shrieks.

Her eyes flew open, and Fiyero shifted and moaned sleepily. "Wha's hap'ning?" he muttered, strengthening his hold on Elphaba and giving her a quick smile. He looked casually over her shoulder and abruptly let go of her, his eyes widening.

She was aboutfaced and on her feet in seconds. _Oh, Oz…_ Before her eyes were Lady Upland, who was apparently in a state of shock, and a gold-skinned woman with dark hair who was undeniably the Queen of the Arjikis.

The queen wasted no time; she grabbed Fiyero by the elbow and immediately began to berate him in Vinkan. Lady Upland stood, absorbing it all, for a few more seconds, before taking Elphaba aside.

"Miss Flopp," she began sternly, "I don't know you very well, and to be frank, I have no desire to know you. Whatever your circumstances, I will _not_ have my guests—"

"Thropp."

"Excuse me?"

"My name is Elphaba _Thropp._"

"Well," Lady Upland said through gritted teeth, "pardon me. Whatever your name happens to be, I will _not _allow a girl who is living in my home to go out _trysting _in the middle of the night!"

Elphaba laughed cynically. "Lady Upland, do I looklike the kind of girl a prince of _anywhere _would tryst with if he had dozens of other girls to choose from?"

"Admittedly, no" the lady shot back disdainfully, "but there is no possible explanation for finding two young people in such a position."

"How about listening to _our _explanation?"

"You'd be lying."

Elphaba felt rage bubbling up in her heart and did nothing to stop it. That was her final mistake. _Why, you meddling, interfering, stubborn, tyrannical…_

Before the girl could even think about controlling herself, Lady Upland was lying on her back, screaming bloody murder and clawing at her ankles. Elphaba looked down at her hostess's dainty feet and saw that a tree root had somehow managed to wrap itself around them, causing her to fall.

The queen was standing before them in an instant. "We will be leaving this afternoon, Lady Upland," she announced in heavily accented Ozian. "I cannot allow my son to associate with—"

Suddenly, Elphaba felt Fiyero's arms holding her tightly, as if they never wanted to let go. "Fae, I'm not leaving, I can't leave," he whispered to her hair. "I won't leave you alone here… I don't _want _to leave without you. I don't know for sure… You are different from any other girl I've ever met, and I _feel _differently about you than anyone else… I know it hasn't been long, but Fae, I think I lo—"

He was immediately jerked away from her. She felt the pain in her cheek, saw stars, heard the smack, and hit the ground before she even knew what was happening; she only knew for sure when she looked up and saw the queen of the Arjikis standing above her with her hand raised.

"_Witch_," she spat, leading Fiyero away.

If it had been anyone else, Elphaba might have gotten up. She might have wanted to save a scrap of her dignity.

But right now, all she could think was, _I've done it again. This… quirk scares them all away, if the green doesn't._

* * *

"ELPHABA!"

Elphaba's head jerked up involuntarily. "Go away."

"NO!" Galinda barged into the Magenta Bedroom and jerked the blanket off of Elphaba's bed.

"Go. Away." Elphaba glared at the blond and covered herself up again.

"You've been hiding in your bedroom ever since the incident in the garden, and I've been waiting for Fiyero to leave so I can FINALLY say what I wanted to say to you!"

_He's gone?_ Elphaba bit her lip under the blanket, and slowly sat up in bed. "Fine. Talk."

Galinda turned away and folded her arms. "I can't. I'm not speaking to you."

The girls stayed silent for a minute. Finally, Elphaba rolled her eyes, sighed, and asked, "All right. _Why _aren't you speaking to me, Galinda?"

"Because," Galinda snapped, turning to face the green girl, "my mother caught you and Fiyero in the garden…" She seemed to lose some of her nerve. "I mean… you were… my mother said she found you…"

"With my skirts around my waist?" Elphaba said sarcastically.

Galinda's mouth dropped. "IT'S TRUE! Elphaba, you only knew each other for two weeks! You can't have possibly… without even _telling me!_ I can't believe the two of you kept such a scandalacious secret from me! I mean," she continued without taking a breath, "I know Fiyero moves fast, but I never thought he'd—"

Elphaba jumped out of bed and grabbed the frantic blond by her shoulders. "Galinda, if I'm right about what you think Fiyero and I were doing last night, you're wrong." When Galinda looked blankly at her, she sighed and tried again. "Fiyero"--she winced a little as she said his name—"and I went out in the garden last night to talk, and we fell asleep. That's all that happened."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise."

"Well…" Galinda's eyebrows furrowed. "I have to admit, you don't seem like the type to… after two weeks… or ever... and I know Fiyero wouldn't. I've known him too long to have any doubts about that. I suppose… I believe you."

"Good." Elphaba didn't smile, only removed her hands from her friend's shoulders and got back into bed. "Thanks for coming in to clear that up. Now, I'd really like to be alone."

"Oh, Elphie." Galinda reached out to touch her on the arm. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Just go." She buried her head under the blankets and didn't come out again until after she heard the door shut.

_He's gone…_

**A/N: PLOT TWIST! Whatcha think? Just click the little review button and speak your mind.**


	10. Against a Wall

**A/N: Oh my Oz, guys, I had no idea it had been this long since I last updated. Don't worry--it won't be long, maybe two or three chapters, until you don't have to deal with my lateness regarding this story anymore. XP**

Chapter Ten:

Against a Wall

"…and that's the scarifying part! She doesn't cry or talk or scream or _anything_! She just sits there, staring out her window. I don't know if she even eats or sleeps anymore. I… I'm a little worried about her."

Galinda, after having watched her friend mope for a full week, ahd finally decided to sit down in the kitchen and talk to Perla.

"What should I do?"

Perla sighed heavily, and continued to stir her chicken broth. "Blossom, Miss Elphaba's going through a difficult time. She can't have been too happy wherever she was before she came here, and I think she found a good friend in Master Fiyero. Now that he's gone, she probably feels where he's missing."

Galinda swallowed, suddenly feeling very sad for poor Elphie. "What about me? I could be her friend, couldn't I?"

Perla clucked in a grandmotherly fashion. "Of course you could, blossom. But I think she found a bit more than a friend in him."

"Oh." Galinda understood perfectly.

"Now," Perla continued, "what Miss Elphaba needs is someone to talk to—when she's ready—and something to get her out of that bedroom. Just a menial little task or responsibility, that's all… I know. Do you think she would object to sweeping the hallway her bedroom is on?"

"I don't think she'd object to _anything _right now," Galinda said grimly. "I'll try your idea tomorrow."

Perla glanced up warily. "Do you think Lady Upland would be bothered by it?"

"Mother doesn't care about anything Elphie does." Galinda stood up from her stool, and was about to leave, before something Elphaba had said came back to her.

"_You're lucky to have someone who loves you… some people don't."_

Galinda turned around slowly. "Perla?"

"Yes, blossom?"

Galinda threw her arms around the old woman's neck. "Thank you."

Perla sounded pleasantly surprised as she said, "You're welcome."

* * *

"Elphie!" Galinda trilled as she entered the Magenta Bedroom without knocking. Elphaba jumped, startled out of her reverie by the sudden high note. 

The blonde bounced over to the window seat and ceremoniously handed the broom she was carrying to Elphaba. The green girl stared at it with her eyebrows knit for a second before looking up, wordlessly, at Galinda for an explanation.

"You're going to get out of this room for a little while," Galinda announced. "Just sweep out the corridor"—she gestured outside of Elphaba's bedroom—"and then you can come back."

Elphaba shrugged indifferently.

"Good." Galinda smiled encouragingly. "Oh, and Elphie? Before I leave… what do you think of my dress?" She had purposely worn a frock that even she had to admit looked like a Lurlinemas tree had thrown up on it. Elphaba hadn't insulted her in days, and she kind of missed it.

Elphie stared at the dress for a moment, and then grunted.

Galinda sighed heavily. "Just let me know when you're done."

* * *

Elphaba sluggishly pushed the broom down the stone floor of the hallway. Other people in her social position might have been outraged at being asked to sink so low, but she didn't care. At that moment, she didn't care about much of anything. As far as she was concerned, there was nothing to care about, other than the fact that she had found someone to pour her heart out to, and then he had disappeared before her eyes. 

She needed desperately to feel something, to lie in his arms and hear him say everything was all right. If she hadn't been numb, it would've scared her how much she needed him.

She sighed and kept sweeping. She _wanted _to see him. She _had _to see him.

But there was nothing she could do about it. He was miles away, and all she could do was sweep and let the unbearable wanting build up inside her. After a while, she couldn't stand it any longer. She could feel longing bubbling out from her heart, rushing from her chest to her hands and into the broom.

Suddenly she felt her feet lifting off the ground. She was _moving _through the air, being dragged down the hallway by… by what? It couldn't be the _broom,_ could it?

Whatever the reason, she was going too fast—the air was whistling in her ears—the wall was coming at her rapidly—she thought, _Stop! _but nothing happened—closing her eyes, she braced herself for the blow—

WHAM!

The last thing Elphaba heard as she slid down the wall to the floor was Galinda, clicking down the hall in her high heels. "Elphie, you can stop…"

A gasp and frantic clicking… then dark silence.

* * *

Elphaba woke up lying between the sheets in the Magenta Bedroom. For a moment, she almost believed the whole awful incident with Fiyero had been a nightmare… almost. 

Galinda was perched on the chair next to the vanity table, watching her. When she noticed that Elphaba was awake, she rushed to the side of the bed. "Elphie, are you all right?"

Elphaba chuckled flatly. "If I can't stay conscious for longer than a couple of weeks here, I'll have to leave."

Galinda enveloped the green girl in a crushing, perfumed hug. "I'm just glad you're not hurt! The broom snapped in half, but that doesn't matter… Oh, Elphie! It looked like you had just thrown yourself against the wall!"

"It was the broom," Elphaba muttered.

"I'm sorry?"

Elphaba wriggled out of Galinda's hug. "The broom… I wanted to see Fiyero so badly… the broom just picked me up and flew me against the wall."

Galinda's eyes widened. "You must have hit your head harder than we thought."

Elphaba huffed. "It really happened! I'll prove—" She stopped abruptly and stared openmouthed at something outside her window.

"What is it?" Galinda turned around and gasped.

And Elphaba knew that she saw the massive Eagle perched on the windowsill too.


	11. Getting Ideas

**A/N: Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Americans:) This is almost definitely the second-to-last chappie. I can't believe it's already almost over!**

Chapter Eleven:

Getting Ideas

Once Elphaba recovered from her initial shock, she suggested quietly, "Maybe we should let him in?" She had meant for it to come out as a statement, but her voice had still taken on an undertone of surprise.

"Um…" Galinda glanced uneasily at the Eagle's sharp beak and impatient expression. "I don't know. He looks a little… dangerous," she whispered.

"No," Elphaba observed, pointing at the satchel tucked between the Eagle's wings. "See, he's wearing a pack. He must be carrying a message… go on, open the window."

Galinda nervously stood up and unlatched the window carefully. The Eagle bobbed his head at her in a birdy sort of bow, and then turned to Elphaba.

"Are you Miss Elphaba Thropp of Munchkinland?"

She swallowed. The Bird had a coarse, stentorian voice, and as tired as he looked, he sounded testy. "Yes."

The Eagle spread his wings and flapped over to sit on Elphaba's bed, eliciting a frightened squeak from Galinda, and offered the green girl his pack. "From Fiyero Tiggular, Prince of the Arjikis."

Both girls' eyes widened at the mention of the prince's name. With trembling hands, Elphaba reached out and removed the satchel from the Eagle's back. "Careful, now," he cautioned her, "it's heavy."

It was; the package felt like it must have weighed twenty pounds. The Eagle sighed as the weight was removed from his shoulders. "Do you mind if I sit here for just a moment? I've been carrying that all the way from Noriko, and that's a long way from here…"

"I don't mind," Elphaba interrupted him absently, staring at the pack without opening it.

Galinda gingerly sat down on the bed next to her friend. "Just open it," she whispered. "Otherwise you'll never know what's inside."

She was right. Elphaba took a deep breath, undid the clasp on the satchel, and emptied its contents onto her bed. Two things came out of the bag: a piece of paper, folded into fourths and labeled _Fae_ in messy script, and an old, banged-up book with a strange symbol on its cover. After taking a moment to stare at both items, she picked up the letter, unfolded it, and read what it said.

_Dear Fae,_

_I'm honestly not sure where to begin. I suppose I should start with I'm sorry, for everything. For my mother; for letting you get caught in the garden with me; for leaving you_, _after all you'd told me, without even really saying goodbye… I don't think a general "I'm sorry" even begins to cover it, but the list of the things I'm apologizing for is too long to list. If you can forgive me (please), keep reading. If not—which you have every right to choose—then you can put this letter down and forget about me, if you wish._

How could she? She kept reading.

_If you've kept reading: thank you, Fae, so much. I've enclosed something that I think will help you. _

_Now that I've apologized for my mother's behavior, I'm going to try to explain it. We don't approve of magic in the Arjikis. Some of the other Vinkan tribes do, but we are very strongly against it. I was, for a while, too… until I met you. The look of absolute shock on your face—which would've been adorable if the situation hadn't been so serious, by the way—when those vines wrapped around Lady Upland's ankles told me that, while some magic is bad, some is just uncontrolled, not harnessed. So, when we got back to Noriko, I searched my family's library (which shocked the rest of my family, let me tell you; I don't think I've ever even set foot in that library on my own) and found the book that you also got from Daren. (He's the Eagle. Kind of hard to miss, I guess, though, so you've already figured that out.) I'm not sure—I could barely tell that the symbols in that book were letters at all—but I think it's called a Grimmerie. It's a very, very old spell book, and to be honest, I'm not sure why we had it. Anyway… I think that if you could learn to control your magic, things like what happened to Lady Upland wouldn't happen anymore. You could ignore your magic, or even use it for good, if you wanted to. The Grimmerie might help you a lot with that, if you can read it. Try it after you finish this letter._

_And, before you do that, Fae, I need to tell you something._

_Do you remember what I was saying before I got dragged out of the garden? When I got cut off mid-sentence? Well, what I was trying to say was… I know I haven't known you for too long, but I've never felt the same way about any other girl that I do about you. Fae, I don't __ever __want you to feel like no one loves you, because someone does…_

_Me._

_I love you, Fae. I love the way you think (which, thanks to you, I've been doing a lot more of); I love how tough and vulnerable you are at the same time; and, no matter how you deny it, I love how beautiful you are. I'm not lying, I just see you differently._

_You don't have to send any kind of long letter back; all I want to hear from you is "I love you too." Send that, if you can, and I'll be happy._

_Love,_

_Your Yero_

Elphaba's hands shook. She wasn't sad, or shocked, or angry; she was _happy_. She didn't even register that Galinda had quietly left the room until she looked up and realized that she was alone with Daren. The Eagle was staring at her pointedly.

"Will you be sending a reply?"

Elphaba thought for a moment, and then suddenly she grabbed the Grimmerie and began to flip through it. She stopped at a page somewhere in the middle and squinted hard at the symbols, which seemed to move and change shape a dozen times before they began to make sense, forming the words LEVITATION SPELL.

_Is that what I did to the broom earlier? _she wondered, trying to decipher the rest of the words on the page.

Daren, clearly forgotten for a minute, cleared his throat, and Elphaba looked up. "Will there be a reply, miss?" he asked, his tone clipped.

"Um…" Elphaba looked back down at the levitation spell before looking the Eagle straight in the eye.

"No," she said quietly. "There will be no reply."

The Eagle looked surprised. "Really? Well, then… I suppose I'll be on my way."

"Thank you, Daren."

He nodded curtly at her and flew back out the window. Galinda reentered silently, right on schedule—clearly she had been listening through the door and been alarmed by the silence. The blonde sat down on the bed and put her hand over Elphaba's. "Do you need anything, Elphie?"

"Yes." Galinda jumped, taken a little off guard by the prompt response. "Do you have another broom?"

"I—I think so," Galinda stammered, quickly standing up and rushing out of the bedroom. She returned after a few minutes with another broom in her hand, and laid it curiously on the bed next to Elphaba. The green girl took out the book and turned it back to the page with the levitation spell on it, took a second to decipher the words, and began to chant softly.

"_Ah may ah tay ah tum ditum, ah may ah tay ah tum ditum, ah may ah tay ah tum ditum…"_

"Elphie," Galinda asked nervously, "what are you doing?" Elphaba ignored her and continued to chant, stopping only when the blonde gasped and screamed, "It's _flying!_".

"_Yes!_" The broom was floating five feet off the ground. Elphaba jumped out of bed and kicked one leg over it, as though she were riding a horse, and thought, _Go!_

Suddenly she was zooming all over the room; this time, however, the broom was doing what she told it to.

"Elphie, stop!" Galinda shouted from back down on the floor. "You're scaring me! Elphaba, stop it!"

Elphaba touched down and did a little jig with glee. Galinda looked astounded. "What in Oz has got you so happy?"

Elphaba threw her arms around Galinda's neck. "Don't you see, Galinda? I could travel with this, long distances! I could see Fiyero again! Isn't this wonderful?"

"Yes," Galinda deadpanned. Elphaba looked at her.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just…" The blonde looked away. "It's just… you're the only friend I've had for longer than a month." She laughed without mirth. "The other girls… they're so self-absorbed and catty that it's hard to stay friends with them. You're different. You insult me sometimes," she said sadly, "but only when I deserve it." Galinda looked up again, this time with a few tears in her eyes. "I don't want you to leave."

Elphaba sighed. "Galinda… you're the only friend I've ever had, period. I couldn't leave; at least, not forever. I'll come back."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Galinda hugged her, and they stayed that way for a second or two before letting go.

"At least stay until after it's dark," the blonde pleaded. "That way they won't know you've left until tomorrow morning."

"You're right," Elphaba agreed. "So… what do you want to do until then?"

Galinda smiled hopefully. "Could I give you another makeover? You'll want to look your best for Fiyero…"

Elphaba chuckled, knowing that the makeup would wash off days before she got to the Vinkus, even if she did fly. "All right."


	12. An End and a Beginning

* * *

Chapter Twelve:

An End and a Beginning

That night, Elphaba said her goodbyes and started off, out the window of a second-floor bedroom. It took her five long days to get from Upland Manor to Noriko, during which time she got lost, rained on, and nearly run over by a flock of ducks.

By the time she got to Noriko Castle, however, it was all worthwhile.

Elphaba slowly circled the palace, searching for a window. _If I remember right, _she thought,_ he said he had a tower room. _The castle was imposing, even in the silver moonlight of the early morning, and there were so many towers; she counted six, each with four or five windows at different levels.

She sighed, brushed a length of hair out of her eyes, and began her search. _That's not it… no…_

* * *

Fiyero stirred a little in bed, trying to stay in the pocket of warmth under his sheets. He knew he had been dreaming just a moment ago; he couldn't remember anything but the fact that Elphaba had been there, and that was all he needed to know.

He was lying still, trying to remember a few more details from the dream, when he heard a thump at his window.

His eyes snapped open, and he sat straight up in bed.

_Oh. I'm dreaming. _

Elphaba was standing on his windowsill, murmuring to the lock on his window, which swung open without a sound. She hopped into the room, looked straight at him, and gave him such a smile of relief that for a moment, he almost believed that she was real.

Of course, she dispelled that thought quickly when she put the broom she was holding down in a corner and whispered, "Stay."

The dream-Elphaba slowly made her way to his bed and got under the blankets as quietly as possible, snuggled up to him, and buried her face in his chest.

_As long as I'm dreaming, I may as well make the most of it. _Fiyero leaned down and kissed her hair, which, while it looked messy and disheveled, was still beautiful and smelled _so _good.

"Hello," she whispered, looking up at him. She had scratches and bruises on her face, and her eyelids were heavy even as she smiled.

"Hi." He wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her closer to him. She sighed, almost inaudibly.

"I got your message."

"You did?" He looked at her seriously. "I was worried when you didn't send anything back."

She bit her lip. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to see you."

"How did you get here?"

"By broom," she said matter-of-factly, like he was supposed to have guessed that already.

"Of course. Silly me."

She chuckled softly and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you for the book," she murmured. "I never would have gotten here without it." They lay in silence for a minute, absorbing each other.

Finally, she broke the silence. "I didn't send a reply because… what I came here to say, I really need to say in person, because I don't think I've ever really said it and meant it before," she whispered rapidly. "I… I wanted to tell you… I…"

"You what?" Fiyero had a feeling he knew what was coming, and he was filled with both happiness and hatred for cruel dreams like these.

"I… I love you, Yero." There it was, out in the open. Elphaba was looking up at him, her face raw and open, and she was about to look away…

… when Fiyero suddenly grabbed her chin and pulled her into a long kiss.

"Do me a favor?" he asked after a minute.

"Of course," she whispered.

"Pinch me." Elphaba looked at him like he was crazy, but after a second pulled her arm down from around his neck and pinched him, hard, on the bicep.

"_Ouch._"

"Well, you asked."

"No," he whispered, grinning at her. "That was a good thing."

"Really?"

"Yes," he said, leaning down close to her ear.

"It means you're real."

And, long after Fiyero had fallen asleep, Elphaba lay in his bed, inhaling his smells and thinking that this was happier than she'd ever been.

* * *

Meanwhile, far away, in a different world entirely, a different, older Elphaba sat in her bedroom, braiding her hair. She avoided looking at her own face; it was her trouble, her bane, her reason for being who she was. She focused only on her hair, and the green hands working through it.

"Elphaba!" a voice barked from down the hall. "The coach is here! Come out and help your sister!"

"Yes, Father," she called back, securing the braid tightly at the bottom and pulling a blue woolen cap over it. She stood up, quickly examining her blue blazer, skirt, and boots. Not that they would do much to distract from the green, she knew, but it couldn't hurt.

_No. _She pushed back any thoughts of wanting to fit in. She didn't care what those people thought. All she needed was herself, and her sister. No one else was required.

"Elpha_ba_," a voice whined from the front of the manor. "Come out and help me into the coach!"

Elphaba grabbed her book from off the vanity and sighed. As treacherous and disloyal to her sister as it might seem, she had to wonder for a split second what would have happened if she really had died from Ozmonia all those years ago…

**FIN**

**A/N: Well, guys, this makes the last chapter (and the last apology for updating so late :P). I really hope you've enjoyed reading this; I know I've enjoyed writing it. **

**So many people to thank! LostOzian, The Pixess, danderson, My Friends Call Me Elphie, X-Kate-X, theGREENgirlTHATluvsRENT, Penguinperson (of course)… the list goes on. I'd take another full page with this if I knew anyone would read it. Seriously, though, I will be thanking all of you personally and heartfeltly (it's a word now). **

**And now… it really is la fin. **


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